Defence secretary warns of further wars with Russia, China and Iran in next five years

Britain should prepare for further wars involving China, Russia, Iran and North Korea in the next five years, Grant Shapps has warned.

In his first speech as defence secretary, Shapps presented a dark picture of a “pre-war world” in which old and new enemies have redrawn battle lines against Britain and the West.

In the wide-ranging address, in which he called on Nato members to increase their defence spending to at least 2 per cent of their GDP, he warned that the foundations of the rules-based international order are being “shaken to the core”.

The conflicts and were forerunners of future strife, with the “era of the peace dividend” which came with the end of the Cold War truly over.